DT 25923

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 25923

Hints and tips by Libellule

Not too complicated, not too easy either. One new word for me, a french phrase and a couple of Big Dave bete noires, what more could you ask for. Comments as always appreciated.

•Across

1. Support for basic form of lighting (11)
{CANDLESTICK} – A cryptic definition for a device that was used to hold candles in the days before gas and electricity.

9. Old emperor’s home with Manx cat! (4)
{INCA} – IN (home) + CA, remember that a Manx cat has no tail, and you have a ruler or member of the royal family from an old South American empire.

10. Our ma getting upset, needing support in respect of self-esteem (5,6)
{AMOUR PROPRE} – An anagram of OUR MA (getting upset), plus PROP (needing support) and RE (in respect of) for a French term for self-esteem or self-respect.

11. Mark will go around hospital for you as before (4)
{THEE} – The mark in this case is a mark that is he aimed at in various games (e.g curling), although we more commonly see this word used in golf. Put it around H(ospital) and you have an old word for you or more accurately the objective case of thou.

14. Star ‘urries following worker (7)
{ANTARES} – Worker is ANT and hurries is HARES. Bearing in mind that we are dropping our aitches, we need to remove the H from ARES. Put together and we have a red supergiant star found in the Milky Way, which is the sixteenth brightest star in the night sky.

16. English with many possessions taken in by little woman in Middle Eastern town (7)
{JERICHO} – A fairly complex construct will eventually get us to a Middle Eastern City, that is possibly the oldest continuously inhabited place in the world. E is English, many possessions is RICH, and the reference to little women refers to Meg, Jo, Beth or Amy from a novel by Louisa May Alcott called Little Women. In this case we need JO. Place E, and RICH within JO, and voila.

17. Deny destroying brute (5)
{REBUT} – Phew, after that we have a simple anagram of BRUTE (destroying) to give another term for deny, or to refute by evidence or argument.

18. A queen, originally one to run country (4)
{IRAQ} – A Q(ueen) placed after I (one) and R(un) for a Middle Eastern country.

19. Region’s stadium lacking name (4)
{AREA} – Stadium is ARENA, if we remove N(ame) we have another word for a region.

20. Colour of a gong, right? (5)
{AMBER} – In this clue, we are looking for a colour, A, plus MBE (gong), and R(ight), gives us a pale yellow colour that comes from a fossil resin.

22. Animal in stream in Indian territory (7)
{GORILLA} – RILL is stream, and this needs to be placed within (in) GOA (Indian territory).

23. Help to protect bird, not a sensible type (7)
{AIRHEAD} – A similar type of clue, AID (help) needs to be placed round (protect) RHEA (bird)

24. Loss of part of allotment to the west (4)
{TOLL} – The answer to this clue is to be found heading west in aLLOTment. A word used to describe the extent of loss, damage or suffering.

28. ‘Disgraceful unionism!’ – I go mad (11)
{IGNOMINIOUS} – An anagram of UNIONISM I GO (mad) for a synonym for disgraceful.

29. No sort of railway? Often that’s so at that time! (4)
{NOEL} – NO, plus a type of railway. EL (elevated), for a period of time when trains typically don’t run.

30. Agreement to smuggle in gin that’s ill-gotten shipload (11)
{CONSIGNMENT} – Agreement is CONSENT , place within an anagram of GIN (ill-gotten) for the shipment of goods, or even a shipload.
The only thing that is confusing both Gazza and me at the moment is – where is the missing M?

Down

2. Host has upset distingusihed painter? Gosh! (4)
{ARMY} – I think I will keep the typo in the clue. It was there when I printed the crossword off of Clued-Up. Distinguished painters are usually asked to join the RA (Royal Academy), in this case its upset, so it needs to be reversed AR, and now you append another term for Gosh!, MY. For a host.

4. More futile row begun by English politician (7)
{EMPTIER} – E(nglish) MP (politician) in the front of (begun by) TIER (row) is more futile.

5. Left-winger’s progress at steady pace (4)
{TROT} – A cryptic definition of a left winger, the shortened term for Trotskyite, or the steady gait commonly of a horse.

6. Gosh, fixed around front of leg, there’s a piece of armour! (7)
{CORSLET} – COR (gosh), SET (fixed) around L (front of leg), and you have a suit of light half armour or three-quarter armour typically from the 16th century or later

7. Where one may find mite in hot water? (2,3,6)
{ON THE CARPET} – A cryptic definition of where you might find one of these (don’t look if you are squeamish) or what happens when someone is given a good telling off.

8. Lad compares various old animals (11)
{CAMELOPARDS} – An anagram of LAD COMPARES, gives us an old term for giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis). New word for me today!

12. Flag opening, vast when unfurled (6-5)
{PAVING-STONE} – I liked this one. Mainly because the answer is nowhere near, what the clue tries to make you think it is. The answer is actually an anagram of OPENING VAST (unfurled) and gives another word used for a flagstone.

13. Ms West in a spin bumping into walker with crushing force (11)
{STEAMROLLER} – STROLLER (walker), now place a reversed MAE (spin) inside, and you have an overpowering force or a heavy vehicle used to make or repair roads.

15. Salvationists gathered around tree in US town (5)
{SELMA} – Big Dave is not going to be happy with this one. Just in case you didn’t know, this US city is the county seat of Dallas County, Alabama, United States. Alternatively you can work this out, like I did by putting SA (Salvation Army) gathered around an ELM (a tree).

16. Obscure fellow descending on a biblical land (5)
{JUDEA} – A reference to a Thomas Hardy novel, JUDE (the obscure) followed by A (descending) for a region of ancient Palestine

21. One set of holy books held by group on the rampage (7)
{RIOTING} – Holy books is typically OT or NT, in this case it’s the former prefixed by I (one). Place this within (held by) a RING (group) and we have a violent public disorder. A political mechanism used in France to let the government know that you are not happy.

25. Stud man who has others working for him? (4)
{BOSS} – A simple double definition. What more can I say.

26. Post set up for Irishman (4)
{LIAM} – Another Big Dave pet hate – names. Post in this case is MAIL, going up for an Irishman’s name.

27. Flowing water and what it can’t do (4)
{BURN} – A cryptic definition of a Scottish stream and what it obviously is incapable of doing.

I look forward to reading Big Daves comments on this crossword, the return of names of people and places and what everyone is asking where did the M come from in 30a. However did like 29a which was the last to solve.

jj ? We know what the answer is, and we know how it was derived. Unfortunately if you read the comments you will realise that the “M” is not clued in any way. Even the setter of the crossword (Giovanni) admits that the clue should have read GIN and M(oney).

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